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Hard Magic Systems
Last Updated 11/13/18 'About' : Hard magic systems are complex systems of magic within fantasy stories in which laws are needed. This means that things such as restrictions and sacrifices are needed. 'Sanderson's Laws of Magic' These "laws" are guidelines created by author Brandon Sanderson to anyone who wants to make a magic system. There are three laws in total. Sanderson's First Law "An author's ability to solve conflict with magic is directly proportional to how well the reader understands said magic. (~Brandon Sanderson)" : The first law describes how it's important that the reader of the story is aware of the characters' limitations due to the rules of the magic. If your magic is too confusing, then none of the readers will understand the magic, making your story more so a pain in the butt than an enjoyable experience. You can also find loopholes in your magic midway through your story that can defy other components, meaning that you no longer have any magic system, just a blob of confusion neither you or the readers enjoy whatsoever. It's good to make your magic somewhat complex to avoid having it be a soft magic system if that's not what you're aiming for, as well as involve your readers a bit so they can think about your story's magic, and not immediately knowing the system or spending hours furiously trying to wrap their head around it. Sanderson's Second Law "Limitations > Power (~Brandon Sanderson)" : The second law is very self-explanatory. It's more important to have your characters with multiple limits rather than having tons of overpowered spells they can use without a cost. Ignoring this law can lead to becoming too overpowered and uninteresting with no room to develop, meaning your readers easily lose interest in your character, and if said character is a major one, your entire story. You also don't want too many limitations, or else your magic may become boring and considered uncreative. The stronger the magic is, the larger the limitations should be to balance it out. If for some reason you aren't fond of the idea of your character only being able to use x% of their total power in certain situations or don't think it might be enough, costs are also very acceptable ways to limit your characters. In fact, it might be better to use a bit of both. When using costs and limitations, your characters should also be aware of said costs and limitations unless they're a newbie using it for the first time and has had no recent warnings. Sanderson's Third Law "Expand on what you have already before you add something new. (~Brandon Sanderson)" : Even if your story is a fantasy, it's important to consider real-life consequences and factors such as environmental health and politics. Deeply consider your magic, writing laws with logical sense in both fiction and reality. "A brilliant magic system for a book is less often one with a thousand different powers and abilities -- and is more often a magic system with relatively few powers that the author has considered in depth. (~Brandon Sanderson)" ''Once you feel content with the basics of your magic, you can add on a few more elements, but it's not best to go overboard with extra details. Once you design a base for your extra elements, take time to consider those as deeply as you did with the main base of your magic. 'Examples of Hard Magic Systems in Works of Literature' *'Add some examples of literature pieces with hard magic systems and a main reason why they are here''' Category:Fantasy Category:Story Category:Elements Category:Fiction